Rate-A-Restaurant #355: Lemon Poppy Kitchen (Glassell Park)

Restaurant: Lemon Poppy Kitchen

Location: 3324 Verdugo Rd. (Glassell Park)



Type of restaurant: Brunch/Coffee Shop

We stipulated: For a Father's Day breakfast, looking for something new... and Lemon Poppy, located close by, fit the bill.





They stipulated: Their specialty is the "plachinta, a Romanian specialty that takes a warm flat bread and wraps it around cheeses, greens, olives, scallions, or a variety of other ingredients. The result is a tasty tortilla-like creation that is great all on its own or as the base for other dishes."



What we ordered: Banana pecan bread pudding ($3), sweet potato hash with egg whites ($8), breakfast sandwich with bacon ($8), flourless chocolate cake ($3)



High point:  The homemade pastry selection is strong. I didn't mean to eat all of that bread pudding so soon after breakfast, but I did.



Low point:  Limited breakfast meat option -- bacon (or turkey bacon) only.



Overall impression: Inventive breakfast choices, great baked goods options, and also appreciated the wall art, which celebrated the Los Angeles River via parodies of old movie posters.



Will we return: Absolutely!

Star Wars Mania: This is Not the Cereal You Are Looking For

And so it begins! The "Star Wars" marketing mania is already in full force... just in time for last week's "Force Friday." (Yes, I did buy this Darth Vader cereal. Guilty.)



Yoda does not approve.



Have your pets caught "Star Wars" fever yet? THEY WILL.



Of course, "Star Wars" has always been a marketing bonanza. Below, from 1984: Do you remember "C3P0" cereal?

Batman, Robin, Julie Newmar and Marionette Skeletons: A Masquerade Ball to Remember at the Bob Baker

Pow! Bam! Zlonk! Chris Nichols, Los Angeles magazine's "City Scholar" (that's his new title, and an apt one at that), throws parties like no one else. In the past, we've traveled to San Bernardino's Wigwam Motel, Glendale's Ard Eeven and have hit the trains at Union Station. This year, he outdid himself by throwing a birthday party/masquerade ball at the famed Bob Baker Marionette Theatre. Special guest Julie Newmar sat next to Chris, and after the show, a surf rock band (Davie Allan & The Arrows, who scored Roger Corman's The Wild Angels, among other things) kept the crowd dancing into the night. It was a great event and a great evening. We even ran into some old blogging pals, Scott Lowe and Ellen Bloom.



Here's how the invite came. Yes, the "Wayne Foundation" reference should have been a tip-off. More on that in a moment.



We arrived to this marquee, and were glad to see that everyone had dressed the part -- 1960s masquerade ball. I was in an old tux, and Maria was in a black dress. I wore Groucho Marx glasses and Maria had a mask we had purchased last year for a KCRW event.



The crowd gathered before hand, munching on 60s-style canapes and sipping champagne.



Us, in disguise.



The show gets underway. Timur Bekbosunov kicks things off. "He looks like the Penguin from 'Gotham,'" Maria notes. In the background, John Ennis plays a Liberace-like character in a gold suit.



Creepy skeleton marionettes. It is the Bob Baker, after all!



Batman and Robin come on the scene to rescue attendees from the puppets.



Wait a second! Turns out we'd been living an episode of the 1960s "Batman" series all along! King Tut, who had been quietly sitting in the audience, stands up and tries to thwart Batman and Robin.



Uh-oh! Will the Caped Crusader and his Boy Wonder make it out alive?



They did! One final lesson from Batman and Robin.



Chris and special guest Julie Newmar enjoy the show.



Batman, Robin, Batgirl and Julie Newmar.



In the Bob Baker workshop



More from the workshop



Marionette in the workshop



Where it's all built, even Mickey Mouse



Outside the Bob Baker



Yes, even Angelyne stopped by!

Free L.A.: Last Chance for Shakespeare in Griffith Park This Weekend

We finally made it to the Independent Shakespeare Co.'s free Shakespeare in Griffith Park (on the grounds of the old zoo, next to Shane's Inspiration park) last weekend, in time to see one of the final performances of "Much Ado About Nothing."



The free Shakespeare in Griffith Park has taken place since 2004. The "Much Ado" adaptation, set in 1945, was well-done, with sharp performances, some musical interludes and playful use of the audience. We brought along a picnic, and although it was a bit too long for the kids (thank goodness we had our phones for them to play with when they got antsy), I'm glad we got there. And best of all, of course, is it's free! (Donations, of course, are encouraged.)

Now it's your turn. The final performances of the summer are this weekend: "Romeo and Juliet" tonight and Sunday, plus Symphony in the Glen on Saturday. Details on "Romeo and Juliet":

Adolescent bliss spins out of control in this imaginative staging of the most famous love story ever told. This new adaptation incorporates an original rock score and design that is equal parts fairy tale and punk. A live band and athletic performances create a Romeo and Juliet that explodes off the Griffith Park stage.

More details about the organization:

ISC relocated to Los Angeles in 2001, producing several productions in small venues. In 2003, we partnered with the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles to produce Free Shakespeare in Barnsdall Park. The first performance of the outdoor, free festival was attended by 14 people and a dog. By 2009, the summer festival performed for nearly 12,000 patrons, outgrowing Barnsdall Park.

2010 marked the start of a new chapter in our history: the summer festival moved to Griffith Park. It’s an ideal spot. It’s truly the park that’s for all Los Angeles, our stage is built in the gently sloping natural amphitheater of the Old Zoo, and the nights are peaceful. The 2014 season was our most successful yet: we performed for more than 43,000 people. The Festival has grown to include more than Shakespeare performances. Audiences enjoy pre-show performances by a variety of local artists, we host the Salon Series (conversations about the intersection of Shakespeare and contemporary culture), and families can attend pre-show workshops about the plays. All of our summer events are entirely free.

Go here for more information.

August Radio Ratings: KRTH, KFI Top the Charts

KRTH "K-Earth 101" is back on top.

The classic hits station (the classy way of saying "oldies") won the August 2015 book in Los Angeles with a 4.9 share of the listening audience age 12 and over. It was also 8th with persons 18-34 and 4th with the 25-54 year olds.

Meanwhile, top 40 KIIS-FM was No. 1 with listeners 18-34 (7.9 share), while hot adult contemporary KBIG "My 104.3" was No. 1 with 25-54 (5.4 share).

The big market success story right now may be hip-hop KRRL "Real 92.3," which has been the No. 2 station in the market among adults 18-34 since May. Not bad for a station that had previously been urban AC "Hot 92.3." It continues to narrowly beat heritage hip-hop KPWR "Power 106," having stolen key morning star Big Boy.

In morning drive time, KFI's Bill Handel remains dominant with radio listeners age 12 and up, averaging a 5.2 share. Close behind was Spanish language KLVE (5.1 share), which was No. 1 with listeners 25-54 (5.4). Ryan Seacrest on KIIS was still No. 1 with persons 18-34, a streak he's held all of 2015.



In morning drive, here are the top shows among listeners 12+:

1. KFI (5.2 share)
2. KLVE (5.1)
3. KRTH "K-Earth" (4.6)
4. KIIS (4.3)
5. KOST (4.0)
6. KTWV "The Wave" (3.9)
7. KBIG (3.7)
TIE. KNX (3.7)
9. KROQ (3.4)
TIE. KSWD "The Sound" (3.4)


25-54:

1. KLVE (5.4)
2. KROQ (5.0)
3. KIIS (4.6)
4. KLYY (4.3)
5. KBIG (4.0)


Here are the top stations among listeners 12+:

1. KRTH (4.9 share)
2. KBIG (4.8)
TIE. KIIS (4.8)
TIE. KOST (4.8)
5. KTWV "The Wave" (4.1)
6. KCBS "Jack FM" (3.8)
TIE. KSWD "The Sound" (3.8)
TIE. KFI (3.8)
TIE. KLVE (3.8)
10. KAMP "Amp Radio" (3.1)

25-54:

1. KBIG (5.4)
2. KIIS (5.2)
3. KOST (4.7)
4. KRTH "K-Earth" (4.6)
5. KLVE (4.3)